Chapter 243

After trying to think of a solution to his time problem, Leon only managed to find something that worried him even more, and that was nerve-wracking.

"You suddenly look more stressed than usual..." Darya frowned. "Is something bothering you? Although you looked pretty tired a few minutes ago, you also looked quite refreshed."

"...I'm just the type of person who can only stop worrying about the things when I'm doing something," Leon explained. "I just noticed the possibility that time here may pass slower than on my planet..."

"Ah... that," Darya said. "That is certainly a quest that would make anyone go mad without a clear answer. Still, I think you shouldn't think about it. Even if you worry endlessly about such a thing, nothing will change."

Leon was aware of it; it was logical. That being said, even logic doesn't make much sense when someone is worried about the people he or she loves. Until that moment, Leon was acting with two things in mind. The first one was to conserve his coins as much as possible. In the case of he get extremely lucky and find a tome that may teach him the teleportation spell. The chance was small, but in fact, it appears, Leon would have to have coins to buy, and it wouldn't be weird if the tome's price is something like one hundred million coins or even one billion.

The other thing Leon was considering was to increase his recovery and mana again. Overall, mana would increase for how long he could fight and also would increase the distance he would be able to cross using teleportation. Recovery would grant him the chance to use the spell more times, so it was equally important...

"Ah... I almost forgot," Leon said. "I have to test if the blue angel leaves can survive above the poison mist."

Leon created an earth platform and raised upward almost to the point where it touched the ground of the city above. There he planted the leaf, but... it died a few seconds later.

"Even if it is an alien plant, it needs sunlight..." Leon sighed.

"So you have those too," Darya said. "Although it is not from this planet, this is the single type of plant I have seen my whole life."

"So, the people up above cultivate it," Leon said. "They must cultivate it near the frontlines. Otherwise, it would be a pain to transport them to the soldiers."

"You are right," Darya said. "However, most people cultivate those near the houses, since they are quite tasty."

"I need more mana, but I can spend my coins to buy potions," Leon declared. "Is there some kind of abandoned area on the city above where we can plant those without being noticed?"

"Well... not on this continent, at least," Darya said. "We will have to leave the civilization to find such a place, and I'm pretty sure the life on any island will be even harder than here. We have some underwater dungeons after all, and there is always a chance that some harvesters leave the battle and explore the uninhabited parts of our planet."

"Some island, huh." Leon looked upward and sighed. "It looks like I'm destined to live on them for a good part of my life."

"... What are you talking about?" Darya frowned.

Leon was already sick of telling about his life on that island, but it couldn't be helped since Darya asked. For the time being, they were partners, and Leon knew more about her life than she knew about his.

"Four years alone on an island…" Darya opened her eyes widely. "I don't think I would be able to keep myself sane alone for so long."

"Almost a year had passed since I left the island, but I still have some scars from that time," Leon said.

"Like psychological scars? You look pretty much fine to me." Darya said.

It was better to shut up instead of keeping talking and end up revealing about the holy sword. In the end, Leon's best option was to look for an island and plant his blue angel leaves. He also had to find a way to mass-produce them without having to waste too much time harvesting, but first things first, Leon had to leave the lower world.

"If we try to find an island, what are the chances of us finding soldiers or harvesters?" Leon asked.

"Pretty high actually, the harvesters can attack the continent from all directions," Darya explained. "That's why I said there is a chance that we may find them on the said island. They always try to attack the boundaries that have fewer soldiers. We only managed to keep them from invading the continent probably because of the Checkpoint spell."

"So, we will have a hard time leaving the continent," Leon nodded. "The soldiers will try to stop us. If they recognize you, they won't hold back. And even if we succeed avoiding them, we may end up fighting the harvesters… I guess you should stay here. You already know how to protect yourself, and I don't think the warriors down here will challenge you directly. Still, they won't be able to kill using a surprise attack."

"No… I'm going with you." Darya looked at Leon in the eye. "I don't have a life here, nor do I have a life above. I still have to find a new place to call home. Besides, I still want to obtain the power to explore this world or other worlds. I won't succeed in doing so if I run away now."

In the end, it was Darya's own choice, so Leon just shrugged after hearing that. The journey ahead would be dangerous, and even though Darya still needed to change her mindset a few habits, she didn't want to stop now. After all, it was the first time in her life that she had the chance to make her own choices.